ArcelorMittal and Hamburger Energiewerke: Heat supply agreement

rcelorMittal Hamburg and Hamburger Energiewerke (HEnW) have entered into an agreement to supply climate-neutral waste heat from the steel manufacturer’s industrial processes to the Energy Park Hafen, starting in 2027. The contract was signed by Monika Boh, CEO of ArcelorMittal Hamburg, and Michael Prinz, Managing Director of Hamburger Energiewerke, in the presence of Jens Kerstan, Senator for the Environment, Climate, Energy, and Agriculture of Hamburg.

Under the agreement, ArcelorMittal will provide at least 56 gigawatt-hours of heat annually during the heating season, equivalent to supplying approximately 7,000 households. This initiative will reduce CO2 emissions by over 15,000 tons per year. Michael Prinz noted, "The contract with ArcelorMittal is a good example of how we can use local waste heat to decarbonize our district heating system."

The heat, sourced from ArcelorMittal’s reduction plant and reheating furnace, requires significant construction efforts to harness. This includes the installation of heat exchangers, a heat transfer station at the ArcelorMittal site, and a 900-meter pipeline to transport heat to the Energy Park Hafen. The project is co-financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. Additionally, provisions are being made to expand the pipeline capacity for up to 10 megawatts of additional heat in the future, as Monika Boh emphasized, "With the district heating supply to Hamburger Energiewerke, we promote Hamburg’s energy and heat transition, supporting the city’s CO2 reduction goals."

At the Energy Park Hafen, which is currently under construction, the waste heat will be collected, stored, and integrated into the district heating network as needed. Construction is set to begin in spring 2025, with the gas-and-steam turbine power plant (GuD Dradenau) planned to commence operations by late 2025. Jens Kerstan remarked, "The energy transition is progressing. It can only succeed when municipal companies and industries collaborate. This project is a win-win: the industry utilizes unavoidable waste heat, and our municipal company increases the share of climate-neutral heat in the district heating network."

The Energy Park Hafen will replace the coal-fired Wedel power plant as part of Hamburg’s transition strategy. Together with the heat from the Center for Resources and Energy (ZRE) in Stellingen, the project aims to achieve 55% climate-neutral heat in the replacement concept for Wedel.

Source and Photo: ArcelorMittal Germany